Follow live coverage of Chelsea's clash with Southampton at Stamford Bridge
Follow live coverage of Chelsea's clash with Southampton at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea 0-2 Southampton blog recap: Premier League coverage - updates, statistics and in-play betting tips


A look back at our coverage of the Boxing Day action in the Premier League, as Chelsea were beaten Southampton.


1655: That's all for now!

That is all for our coverage of this match but, fear not, we are only switching over to coverage of Man United v Newcastle at 1730. Do join us.

Thanks for following this afternoon's football with us - we hope you enjoyed it. What a result for Southampton. Enjoy the rest of your Boxing Day and the rest of your festive celebrations!

Premier League results

  • Tottenham 2-1 Brighton
  • Aston Villa 1-0 Norwich
  • Bournemouth 1-1 Arsenal
  • Chelsea 0-2 Southampton
  • Crystal Palace 2-1 West Ham
  • Everton 1-0 Burnley
  • Sheff United 1-1 Watford
  • Man United v Newcastle (1730 GMT kick-off - follow it with our live blog)
  • Leicester v Liverpool (2000 GMT kick-off)

1652: FULL-TIME! Chelsea 0-2 Southampton

That's time. After shaking hands with Lampard, Hasenhuttl jumps with delight. A huge win and a few boos can be heard around the home end, a big slip-up that will delight their top four rivals.

Southampton were comfortable and Chelsea failed to test McCarthy enough. Lampard's side have now lost three of their last four league games at Stamford Bridge.

Highlights and a Premier League review to follow on site shortly.


1650: Hasenhuttl demands more

'Clean sheet, come on! Clean sheet!' - that can be heard from the touchline and the Saints are very nearly there. Empty seats visible now around the home section.


1648: Free-kick for the hosts

Right on the edge of the box on the left-hand side. Mount stepping over it as four minutes of added time are indicated.

His driven effort is well struck and McCarthy does well to tip it over the bar.


1646: Elsewhere

  • Crystal Palace 2-1 West Hm (Ayew)

1645: Chelsea desperation

Kante makes a dangerous run down the right of the box and crosses in but it is only met by away defenders. Mount tries his luck from the edge of the box but pulls it across goal and past the post.


1642: Saints change

Stuart Armstrong is replaced by former Chelsea man Oriol Romeu. The midfielder deserves his reception from the away end after that shift.


1640: Time running out

Azpilicueta heads wide from a corner and the clock is running down - if the Blues are going to get anything from this game they best hurry. Seven plus added time to go! Credit to Saints.


1639: Elsewhere

Everton 1-0 Burnley (Calvert-Lewin)

The Toffees heading for a winning start under Carlo Ancelotti.


1633: Pulisic tries his luck (0-2)

Pulisic creates space on the edge of the box to get a shot off, but his effort is scuffed and McCarthy still does well to tip the ball past the post. A frustrating afternoon for Lampard's men, just days after that incredible performance at Spurs.


1631: GOAL! Chelsea 0-2 Southampton (Redmond)

Wow!

Great play by the visitors sees Armstrong in the middle of it all and as Kante looks to steal the ball away he ends up putting Redmond through and the forward brilliantly dinks the ball over Kepa and goes to celebrate wildly in front of the away fans!


1630: Just under 20 minutes to go

Can the Saints see out the victory?


1624: Chelsea sub

Pulisic replaces Hudson-Odoi. Can the American's direct approach trouble Hasenhuttl's men? Ings is being readied for the visitors. Two decent players to bring off the bench!


1622: Crucial save!

Redmond storms through the middle after a lovely one-two. Just inside the box, with defenders closing him down, the forward shoots but it is straight at Kepa. The Saints could rue that one.


1620: Elsewhere

  • Bournemouth 1-1 Arsenal (Aubameyang)
  • Aston Villa 1-0 Norwich (Hourihane)
  • Crystal Palace 0-1 West Ham (Snodgrass)


1617: Wonder if Frank is thinking of the January sales yet...

Frank Lampard: Chelsea boss watches his side against Southampton at Stamford Bridge
Frank Lampard: Chelsea boss watches his side against Southampton at Stamford Bridge


1613: Chelsea's uphill battle (0-1)

Opta's in-play win probability stat has given the Blues just a 16% chance of coming out on top here.


1610: CLOSE! (0-1)

A great chance there - not for the hosts to equalise, but for the visitors to double their lead. They have started the second half well with a couple of dangerous counter-attacks and Redmond's ball dribbles across the face of goal but Adams cannot get to it before Tomori. Vital interception there, it was so nearly two.


1603: Second half (0-1)

We are back underway at the Bridge. Hopefully it opens up a bit and Chelsea have to go for it! Stick with us to find out.


1600: PRICE BOOST

At half-time Sky Bet have Price Boosted the following:

  • Tammy Abraham to score the 2nd goal to 10/3
  • Willian to score the 2nd goal to 13/2
  • Both teams to score in the 2nd half to 3/1

Full market here


1558: Transfer talk


1552: HT stats

Chelsea have had just one shot on target. They will need to try test McCarthy more in the second period.

Possession: 68 v 32

Shots: 3 v 2

Shots on target: 1 v 1

Corners: 2 v 0

Fouls: 6 v 4


1547: HALF-TIME - Chelsea 0-1 Southampton

There's the whistle.

Saints halfway to what would be a significant result for them. Ralph Hasenhuttl's plan is working perfectly and Frank Lampard has some thinking to do.


1546: Blades back in it

  • Sheffield United 1-1 Watford (Norwood PEN)


1545: Two minutes added time (0-1)

Southampton have packed out the middle and are forcing Chelsea wide, making it difficult to pick out a team-mate. They are coping comfortably so far and Stamford Bridge is noticeably anxious.


1541: Goals elsewhere

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are down at Bournemouth (blog here) and Watford lead at Sheff United thanks to Gerard Deulofeu.

See all three goals from the 3pm kick-offs here:

  • Chelsea 0-1 Southampton (Obafemi)
  • Bournemouth 1-0 Arsenal (Gosling)
  • Sheff United 0-1 Watford (Deulofeu)


1538: Great save! (0-1)

Chelsea look to get back on level terms ahead of the interval. Willian's corner is flicked on at the near post, the ball flashes across goal and McCarthy gets a vital fingertip to the ball.

Southampton's game plan has been spot on so far.


1537: Action shot - Obafemi celebrates (0-1)

Michael Obafemi celebrates his goal for Southampton at Chelsea
Michael Obafemi celebrates his goal for Southampton at Chelsea


1532: GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Southampton (Obafemi)

The visitors go on a quick counter, Obafemi's first touch is sublime and he turns Tomori inside out. The 19-year-old then shapes a wonderful effort past Kepa and into the top corner for just his second ever Premier League goal.

Now they have a reason to time waste!

Danny who?! Hasenhuttl's decision to rest Ings and play Obafemi up front with Adams has now paid off! The atmosphere has turned even more at Chelsea after that. They will be worried of a repeat after seeing West Ham and Bournemouth win there recently.


1529: Southampton already time-wasting (0-0)

The visitors have a throw in on the left-hand side and former Chelsea player Ryan Bertrand - who started in their 2012 Champions League final win over Bayern - takes his time and is booked.


1526: Lampard to rethink tactics? (0-0)

The Chelsea boss was praised for his approach against Tottenham on Sunday and Southampton are so well set up here that Lampard will have to have a rethink here.


1520: Vital interception (0-0)

Rudiger drifted and went out of position, leaving a hole at the back and Obafemi was nearly put through. Jorginho saw the danger, read the game well and got to the ball first. At the other end, Hudson-Odoi has a shot blocked and the resulting corner sees a chance eventually fall for Tomori. He headed on target but could not generate enough power to beat McCarthy.


1519: Action shots (0-0)

Action from Chelsea v Southampton

Action from Chelsea v Southampton


1516: Willian looks lively (0-0)

The Brazilian tries to get the Blues to step up the pace with a tricky run through the middle but it's congested and Southampton get it away.

At the minute it's more attack vs defence. Wave after wave.


1513: Saints doing well so far (0-0)

The visitors have dropped deep at times and made it difficult for the Blues to use their pace and get in behind.

The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge is a little subdued, with the away fans making more noise.

Blues fans must be feeling the effects of a heavy Christmas Day!


1503: Settling into the game (0-0)

Three minutes played and Chelsea are just starting to settle now after a scrappy couple of opening exchanges.


1500: Kick-off!

The teams are out, pre-match handshakes done. Here we go!

Let's hope for an entertaining Boxing Day clash at the Bridge. Let us know your thoughts by tweeting @SportingLifeFC


1450: Hasenhuttl on why Ings was dropped


1447: View from the Bridge


1445: Lampard's praise for low maintenance Willian

Willian celebrates scoring for Chelsea at Tottenham in the Premier League
Willian celebrates scoring for Chelsea at Tottenham in the Premier League

Frank Lampard has hailed "low-maintenance" Chelsea forward Willian as a well-loved Stamford Bridge star.

Brazil winger Willian bagged a stunning double in Sunday's 2-0 Premier League derby win at Tottenham, to managerLampard's delight.

The 31-year-old is out of contract in the summer and has been clear for some time in his desire to stay in west London beyond the end of the campaign.

Lampard insists Chelsea's board will handle the contract negotiations, but reiterated how impressed he has been with Willian's role this term.

"He's in talks with the club, he speaks with the club on the money side of it," saidLampard.

"If there was one thing I wanted from him at the start of the season it was a question of: 'Can you score more goals because your talent says that you should do'.

"That means sometimes running into space behind defenders, and getting the other side, and he is doing all those things.

"And the experience helps when you have got a young team, when the other options are younger, experience certainly helps.

"All his team-mates love him, he's a low-maintenance player to have in the squad; so yes I am really happy with him.

"He's great for me, especially when he plays like he did the other day; it was an incredible performance."

Chelsea host Southampton on Boxing Day intent on hitting back to form on home soil, following their surprise 1-0 loss to Bournemouth that preceded the hugely-impressive win over Jose Mourinho's Tottenham.

Lampard arrived at Chelsea from Derby in the summer keen to work so closely with the talented wide man Willian.

Now he has bedded into his role as Stamford Bridge chief, Lampard believes the Brazilian can continue to push on to even greater heights.

"He has that talent; I knew he had that talent before I got the job," said Lampard.

"I think I have said this before, but the last year or two I have looked at him from afar and wasn't sure how much he was enjoying it, whether he felt happy in games. A bit of body language, in and out sometimes.

"My feeling at the start of the season was to tell him how much I feel about him and how I see him; get him fit, get him working off the ball because I know he can.

"And the rest in terms of what he does on the ball I can kind of let him do that, because he has this incredible ability to burst away from people."


1435: Kick-off closing in

The final preparations are going in for both sides out warming up at Stamford Bridge. Looking forward to seeing Callum Hudson-Odoi back in the starting XI - his first in the Premier League since the win over Newcastle in mid-October.

The England forward has scored just once this season, in the Carabao Cup win over Grimsby, and is 21/10 with Sky Bet to score anytime this afternoon.

Check out more pre-match odds here


1425: FULL-TIME - Tottenham 2-1 Brighton

Harry Kane levels up for Tottenham at home to Brighton
Harry Kane levels up for Tottenham at home to Brighton

Spurs come from behind to win the early kick-off. Here's a look at the rest of today's top-flight fixtures:

  • FT: Tottenham 2-1 Brighton
  • Aston Villa v Norwich
  • Bournemouth v Arsenal
  • Chelsea v Southampton
  • Crystal Palace v West Ham
  • Everton v Burnley
  • Sheff United v Watford
  • Man United v Newcastle (1730 GMT kick-off - follow it with our live blog)
  • Leicester v Liverpool (2000 GMT kick-off)

1420: Premier League tips


1416: Opta stats

  • Chelsea have won seven of their last eight Premier League games against Southampton (D1), since a 1-3 home loss in October 2015.
  • Southampton and Chelsea drew 0-0 in this exact fixture last season – Saints have never kept consecutive away clean sheets against the Blues in the top-flight.
  • Chelsea and Southampton have met four times on Boxing Day in the Premier League, most famously 20 years ago when Chelsea became the first Premier League side to name a starting XI with no British players in a 2-1 win at the Dell.
  • Chelsea are currently unbeaten in their last 14 Premier League Boxing Day games (W9 D5), the longest such run without defeat in the competition’s history. Their last loss was back in 2003 against Charlton (2-4).
  • This is Southampton’s 17th Premier League Boxing Day game (W4 D6 L6), and it will be their 16th such game against a London side, with the exception being a 3-0 win at Cardiff in 2013. Their only away Boxing Day victory in the capital in the competition was at Crystal Palace in 2014 (otherwise D4 L3).
  • Chelsea have lost two of their last three Premier League home games (W1), as many as they had in their previous 28 at Stamford Bridge in the competition (W16 D10 L2). Indeed, in all competitions the Blues have lost five home games this season – only once in the 21st century have they lost more at Stamford Bridge (6 in 2015-16).
  • Southampton have scored in each of their last eight Premier League away games, their longest such streak in the competition since a run of 11 between December 2013-April 2014. Indeed, only Man City (20) and Liverpool (12) are on longer current runs of scoring in consecutive away games in the competition than Saints.
  • Southampton’s last 16 Premier League goals have been scored by English players – excluding own goals, it’s the longest such run in the competition since Queens Park Rangers between March 1996-September 2011 (17).
  • Danny Ings scored Southampton’s goal in their 1-4 defeat in the reverse fixture against Chelsea. In the Premier League era, only Rickie Lambert (2012-13) and Kevin Davies (1997-98) have scored in both games against the Blues in a single season for the club.
  • Chelsea’s Willian has netted four goals in 17 Premier League appearances, one more than he netted in 32 games last term. Willian, who scored twice last time out vs Spurs, hasn’t found the net in consecutive PL games since October 2015.
Danny Ings and Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl
Danny Ings and Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl


1414: Spurs now lead Brighton 2-1


1405: Team news

Callum Hudson-Odoi starts for Chelsea while Jorginho also comes into the side in place of the suspended Mateo Kovacic as Frank Lampard sticks with the 3-4-3 formation which worked so well against Tottenham.

Ralph Hasenhuttl names Danny Ings on the bench as Southampton make two changes up front. Che Adams and Michael Obafemi lead the line. Can they emulate West Ham and Bournemouth's recent results at the Bridge?


1350: Sporting Life match preview

Chelsea will be keen to bounce back from recent home defeats to West Ham and Bournemouth but the win over local rivals Tottenham at the weekend will go some way to doing that.

They moved four points clear of Sheffield United in fifth and Frank Lampard's side were impressive in dismantling Jose Mourinho's game plan. They have performed well against the bigger teams recently - they were also unfortunate to lose to both Man City and Liverpool - and now have to look at avoiding another slip up against a bottom half side.

Ralph Hasenhuttl's Saints will be fighting tooth and nail for everything and the win at Villa gives them hope of survival. They also performed well at the Etihad and their away displays have been better than most of those at St Mary's.

Tammy Abraham can end a three-game goalless drought but at odds-on that has little appeal. But staying in the anytime market, Willian was outstanding at Spurs, scoring two, and the Brazilian is nicely priced at 7/2 here.

He has four goals to his name this term and in the recent Stamford Bridge defeat to the Cherries the forward had three efforts. With confidence high, he can make his mark again here.

Prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Southampton (Sky Bet odds: 10/1)

Best bet: Willian to score anytime at 7/2


1345: Welcome

Season's greetings on behalf of the whole Sporting Life team. We hope you had a great Christmas Day and are fully fuelled on mince pies, turkey and Sporting Life's expert analysis and best bets to get your through Boxing Day and hopefully earn some profit too.

The early kick-off between Spurs and Brighton is ongoing - currently 1-1, follow it here - and we will be keeping you up to date with all the action in the 3pm games, with a focus on Chelsea's match with Southampton here and a separate blog for Arsenal's first game under Mikel Arteta at Bournemouth.

We will provide regular updates from Stamford Bridge, stats and the odds in-play fancies. Sit back, relax and enjoy our coverage as you enjoy the rest of yesterday's leftovers...

Without further ado, let's first look at our preview before going on to the team news...


Odds via Sky Bet and correct at time of publication on 26/12/19

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